1. Technical Field
This invention is related to wiring harness assemblies and, in particular, wiring connectors having opposing terminals that allow power to pass from one end of the connector assembly to the other end.
2. Discussion
Many vehicles, industrial applications, and commercial applications use a variety of wiring harnesses. These wiring harnesses are not only labor intensive to install, but are typically specialized for a specific application. As wiring harnesses are specialized for specific applications, each wiring harness design is typically different, making it difficult to create a uniform wiring harness, even for powering traditional applications such as the lighting system of a vehicle. For example, each vehicle may have different lighting locations, different distances between lighting locations, as well as different routes along which the wiring assemblies must run thereby varying lengths of the wiring assembly as well as distances between terminals in the wiring assembly. Traditionally, each terminal connected to the wiring assembly needed to be spliced and then taped or epoxied into the wiring. Given the different locations, such as different locations between models of vehicles, and the numerous numbers of splices followed by taping or epoxy at different locations on different wiring assemblies, it has been difficult, if not impossible, to automate the assembly of wiring harnesses. Therefore, traditionally the assembly of wiring harnesses and the later installation of wiring harnesses into vehicles has been extremely labor intensive.
In assembling a vehicle, generally a main wiring harness is assembled from which various smaller wiring harnesses run various items that receive electrical power, provide feedback, or control relays or devices. The wiring harness when installed is substantially complete due to the necessity of prior splicing and taping or using shrink tube or epoxy to seal out moisture. Substantially complete wiring assemblies may include numerous legs to extend in different directions, making them difficult to assemble into the vehicle.
Modern vehicles have a multitude of electrical items which provide power to the wiring harness, receive electrical power from the wiring harness, control devices along the wiring harness, or provide feedback regarding various vehicle operating parameters. As manufacturers increasingly add new electronic devices and controls to vehicles, including everything from navigational systems to cooling fans in seats and from smart cruise controls to back-up alarm systems, the associated wiring harnesses for vehicles have become more complex. Therefore, the assembly time required for manufacturing the wiring harness of a vehicle as well as installing the wiring harness in a vehicle has substantially increased. Exemplary vehicles that are continually adding electrical components and functions as well as various additional controls including automobiles, airplanes, boats, trucks, and other forms of vehicles, as well as industrial and commercial equipment. For example, many vehicles used in agricultural, construction, earth moving, and mining have added GPS navigational systems which can even provide an autopilot function or be controlled by external software. Many stationary industrial and commercial machines are increasingly complex and have added numerous wiring harnesses as control systems have become more complex and provide more feedback and monitoring options. Therefore, the assembly required for almost any application having a wiring harness has become increasingly complex and requires additional assembly and installation time. As an example of an application in which wiring harnesses have become more complex in vehicles, and in particular automobiles, is a taillight and the various associated functions including turn, brake, tail, reverse, and side light functions. Traditionally, a few wires ran from the fuse panel individually to each taillight. As the price of copper and other materials used in wiring assemblies steadily increased, manufacturers looked to reduce costs by joining functions along the wiring assembly. Furthermore, wiring each functional device to its associated control and power device individually within the automobile caused a very labor intensive assembly process of the automobile. Therefore, wiring harnesses were used to simplify the wiring of the vehicle and minimize assembly time by bundling many wires. Originally wiring harnesses were fairly simple with a couple splices and were easy to assembly and install. However, as additional electrical equipment and controls have continually been added to the number of wires and wiring splices has significantly increased, thereby increasing the labor in manufacturing the wiring harness, the material used to create the wiring harness, and the installation time.
Therefore, there is a need for a wiring harness including new wiring harness connectors that reduce assembly time and the materials used in the manufacturing of wiring harnesses. There is also a need for a wiring harness that includes less splices and is easy to assemble through automated methods and has increased reliability. Furthermore, there is a need for a wiring harness assembly that allows for standard components to be used in a particular vehicle or application and thereby reduces cost in designing and assembling the wiring harness.